Mind of Fear
by Jaguarin
Summary: The nightmares and the fear can kill anyone... even a Bird of Pray. COMPLETE!!! END CHAPTER UP!
1. Mind was blank

Thanks to my co-editors: the incredible Shadow Walker, Cateyes & the marvelous Darkphoenix Fighting FOR KEEP BOP FLYING!!!  
  
MIND OF FEAR  
  
The clock tower struck eleven p.m. Barbara kept her eye trained on the monitors for any sign of danger. Dinah sat nearby with her head buried in her homework. She was bored and wanted to be out with Helena, patrolling the city streets, but her week was riddled with exams and Barbara insisted that she stay at home and study. Barbara was adamant and every time Dinah tried to ask Barbara would answer her before she could finish.  
  
An alarm rung on the Delphi monitor. Reese had triggered the bat ring. Barbara took note of the location.  
  
* * *  
  
Helena sat on the corner of the roof, she enjoyed these moments alone as she watched the city lights in the calm night and let the wind softly tousle her hair. She sometimes asked herself how different it would all have been if her mother were still alive. Would Helena still patrol the city rooftops and streets? Would she have used her instincts as she had been? Would Selina have guided her differently? Would she instead be playing cat and mouse games with Reese?  
  
Helena could't deny being somewhat attracted to the dark side, but what about Barbara? What would have become of Barbara life? Undeniable as it was, Barbara was an important factor in their plight against crime and both had been able to conquer their sadness, solitude and frustrations through their relationship.  
  
What would have become of her if Helena had not been there? Would she have carried on her plight and become an advisor for NGPD? Or would she have settled into just becoming a school teacher, placing the crime fighting mantle down? Who knows?  
  
But Helena had to live, stay in the present, here, now was what counted. Their duty was to rid the city from the scum who threatened it. Helena closed her eyes and breathed in, wishing she could make moments like these eternal.  
  
:: Helena:: Barbara's said over the comm.  
  
:: Reese has reported an assault at a jewelry store on the corner of 51 and 64 street.::  
  
"Welcome to reality" Helena whispered.  
  
:: Pardon?::  
  
"Never mind, I'm on my way" she got up and jumped toward the neighboring roof.  
  
* * *  
  
Helena leaned over the terrace that stood above the jewelers, she heard gunshots emitting from the store and from Reese's position.  
  
"I'm here," she said, "Looks like Reese started the party without me, give me a sec." Helena entered the backdoor of the building, "There are three of them." "Bread eaten" :: Okay hold on, I'll get Reese to ceasefire, to prevent him from hitting you:: "No need," without saying more, Helena rushed in on the thieves.  
  
* * *  
  
"Helena, wait..." Barbara began to say but then paused as she heard the sound of a fist connecting with what sounded like a jaw.  
  
"She will never change" Dinah said to Barbara as she worked in her books.  
  
"Why does she always have to be so impulsive?" Barbara couldn't hide her anger.  
  
"Because you were just the same when you were her age Miss Barbara," Alfred replied as he served her a cup of tea, "Seems to me that Miss Helena learned more from you than you believe she has." He took the dirty dishes and headed towards the Kitchen.  
  
Barbara glared at him, "Why does he always have to be right!" She thought to herself. She sighed and returned her attention to the fight, "Okay, what's going on?"  
  
* * *  
  
"Two zero, beating the bad guys," Helena replied kicking one of the attackers and knocking him against a cabinet, the other one had just ran out of the store where he had an unfortunate meeting with Reese.  
  
The last one had recovered quickly and aimed a gun at Huntress. "That won't serve you good," an agile kick dismantled him and she kicked him twice, flinging him against a wall. Helena grabbed him and threw him out, through the broken window, into the street. As he struggled to get up Huntress jumped above him and started beating him violently. Reese had just put the attacker that he had caught in his patrol car, when he saw Huntress.  
  
"Stop!" he screamed and ran towards her, but she didn't pay attention to him, she continued kicking the man. "Huntress stop!!!" Reese grabbed her from behind, wrapping his arms around her, "You're gonna kill him."  
  
"Let me go!" Huntress shouted. Reese let her go and checked on the thief, he was unconscious.  
  
"What's the matter with you?" Reese looked at her annoyed, he took his cell and called in an ambulance. He then looked back at her, "What were you thinking? You almost killed him!"  
  
"I. I.. "she hesitated, "I don't know what."  
  
"You are too violent! Why don't you just. go home, rest a while or whatever," he said the left, leaving Huntress confused.  
  
:: Huntress? What happened?:: came Barbara's V.O.  
  
:: Huntress?:: Barbara's voice broke her from her confusion.  
  
"Nothing," she replied.  
  
:: Nothing? What about the thieves?::  
  
"Nothing... we... we stopped them...."  
  
"You alright?" Barbara noticed the change in Huntress; tone, something wasn't right.  
  
:: yeah, it's nothing, I'm just tired, I'm going home:: Huntress replied.  
  
Dinah raised her head, she too noticed something wrong.  
  
"I need to speak with you," Barbara said.  
  
:: Yeah, see you tomorrow::  
  
"Huntress," Barbara called unsuccessfully, Helena had turned off the communicator.  
  
"Damn," she mumbled, "She did it again, I'm seriously going to talk to her tomorrow."  
  
"She's always been this way," Dinah told her.  
  
"But she has to understand that we're a team and a team doesn't operate like this!" Barbara turned her wheelchair around, "That girl."  
  
* * *  
  
Barbara and Dinah were eating breakfast in the kitchen, when the elevator doors opened and Helena walked in without greeting them.  
  
"I thought you wouldn't come" Barbara said, "It's late."  
  
"Yeah well I slept late," Helena placed her sack to a side, opened the refrigerator and looked inside.  
  
"There's French toast," Dinah said.  
  
"Any fruit?" Helena asked.  
  
"On the bottom shelf, there's a plate of chopped watermelon," Barbara Replied, "What happened yesterday?"  
  
"Nothing, " Helena took the plate of watermelon out and sat down at the table.  
  
"Do you want some juice Miss Helena?" Alfred asked. Helena nodded and smiled when he handed her a glass filled with juice.  
  
"What do you mean nothing?" Barbara knew that Helena was hiding something, "I heard Reese last night, Helena, he sounded really annoyed."  
  
"You know Reese, Barbara, he's always annoyed!" Helena put a piece of watermelon in her mouth, "He's always exaggerating everything, and he always has a problem with how I fight."  
  
"Did you exceed yourself?" Barbara took a sip of her juice without breaking eye contact. Helena didn't answer and put another watermelon piece in her mouth. Dinah stopped eating and looked up at both of them.  
  
"Is that it??" Barbara insisted, "Did you exceed yourself with the thief?"  
  
"Okay!" Helena hesitated, "Just a little... nothing serious."  
  
"Are you sure?" Barbara asked while taking a deep breathe in. Helena's violent character had always been a point of discussion they never liked talking about.  
  
Helena dumped the fork to the side of the plate, "I still don't see why you and Reese always have a problem with how I deal with the perps. Nobody moans at them for kicking me! I mean sometimes I come back with bruises and cuts, and my clothes are always tearing and do you know how expensive they are and how hard good clothes are to find? What about me? It always bothers you both when I mistreat them, the guys who steal and or hurt other people, they don't have a code of conduct! Most of the time I can never understand either of you!"  
  
"Many times it's your fault because of your imprudence," Barbara refuted her, "You don't measure the danger, like yesterday."  
  
"Come on Barbara!"  
  
"It's more a matter of morals for you then for them," Barbara had finished having breakfast and cleaned her mouth with a napkin.  
  
"Me? Why me?" Helena puckered a frown.  
  
Barbara placed her elbows in the table and looked at Helena deeply, "Because you shouldn't become the same as them even though you're looking for justice, nothing justifies death or an act of violence, your father never broke the law in spite of."  
  
"All right, all right, I already know the story," Helena lifted a hand for peace, "Look, You're brewing a storm in a glass of water, the perp is okay, nothing really happened. Did I exceed myself? Maybe. a little, but it was the first time and I regret it, it will also be the last, it won't happen again."  
  
Barbara leaned behind in her wheelchair, her eyes locked with Helena's "And what about turning the mc off?"  
  
"Ok," Helena raised her hand again. "I've let you be the moderator, don't push me."  
  
"Helena."  
  
"Can we discuss it later?"  
  
Barbara raised her right eye-brow and the sighed "Later."  
  
"I promise."  
  
"Okay, time to go Dinah, are you ready?" Barbara said breaking away from Helena's glare.  
  
"I'll get my books," Dinah replied and ran off to her room.  
  
"We'll see you this afternoon," Barbara said to Helena and then moved off to the elevator. Helena waited until Barbara and Dinah left and then looked at Alfred.  
  
"Did she get up in a bad mood?" she asked.  
  
"She went to bed in a bad mood," Alfred corrected picking up the plates off the table, "There isn't anything that angers her more than you not taking her guidance and turning the mic off."  
  
"It's so annoying to being lectured at while you're trying to be the hero and fight someone at the same time! How am I supposed to cope with that?! Could I have some French toast?"  
  
"That, Miss Helena, is your enigma," Alfred replies. He serves her some toast in a plate.  
  
"So how am I supposed to solve this 'enigma' of mine?" she asked accepting the plate.  
  
"You are an intelligent young woman Miss Helena, but as much as I like to part with my wisdom on occasions, this time it is up to you to solve it," he hands her the honey and butter, "and I trust you will."  
  
"I hate it when you do that?"  
  
"When I do what?"  
  
"When we really need your advice you turn on us."  
  
Alfred smiled.  
***  
  
That afternoon at the clock tower, Dinah entered the laboratory, with her school books in her hand and a bag slung over her shoulder. She'd had a terrible day at school. Barbara continued working on the computer.  
  
"Not even today?" Dinah asked Barbara as she approached her.  
  
"I told you, not until your exam week ends," Barbara replied, changing one of the circuits of the computer, "Exams are on of the most important parts of your education, I'm not going to amuse you by letting you go out on patrols."  
  
Dinah twisted her mouth, "May I use a computer to type some notes?"  
  
"Of course, use that one, on the left," Barbara replied.  
  
"Did you speak with Helena?" Dinah asked while she took out a disk and slid it in the drive.  
  
"No," Barbara took the CPU cover and closed the tower, "Helena knows how to avoid me when we need to have talk, and if it was a discussion she knows she'd loose, it's pretty quick,"  
  
"Where is she?"  
  
"Working in the bar."  
  
***  
  
Helena was cleaning a glass, when a drunken man sat down in front of her. He requested another drink, she didn't like the idea of giving him one more, but she wasn't in the mood of receiving a lecture from Leonard. Helena served the man another drink and resumed cleaning the glass tumbler.  
  
"You're very hot," the man said smiling. Helena ignored him and continued working.  
  
"Hot doll, why don't you sit down an talk to me?... Baby, I'm speaking to you..." he said, his words slurring.  
  
"You're happy with your drink," Helena looked him putting her hands on the table, ".and I'm happily cleaning this glass, so let's stay happy, huh? You don't bother me and I won't bother you."  
  
"Kyle!" Leonard yelled, "Bring me two more bottles of Brandy,"  
  
"Sit down," the drunk said.  
  
Helena smiled at the drunk, "I don't like to go out with clients" and saying this, she left the bar and headed for the cellar. One thing Helena hated, working in a bar, were the drunks, especially those who tried to hit on her.  
  
Helena took the bottles and opened the door to leave. She raised her eyes, and the drunkard was waiting for her.  
  
"Hello, now we can have a good time," he said moving towards her.  
  
The man tried to hug her and Helena threw it off with a kick. The man became furious and rushed on Helena; she had already lost patience and hit him in the head with one of the bottles. Leonard had heard the noise in the back and rushed over to see Helena losing her cool and attacking the man.  
  
"What the hell. Kyle! Leave him alone!" he tried separating the two but couldn't. Desperate, he called for two guards. Helena had the man against the floor and with her hands around his neck. The two guards picked her up, away from the drunk, Helena tried fighting them off but they held on tight, Helena fought like a wild animal.  
  
"Leave me alone! I'm going to kill him!" she shouted.  
  
"Kyle!" Leonard exclaimed "Kyle!! Have you gone nuts?!" Leonard grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him, "What the heel has gone into you?! You want me to call the cops?"  
  
Suddenly Helena calmed down, she noticed the drunk on the floor with a deep cut on his head and the two guards holding her, she looked surprised at Leonard.  
  
"Are you okay?" Leonard asked after he noticed she had calmed down. Helena looked down at the drunk on the floor again; she couldn't remember what had happened.  
  
"That madwoman!" the drunk said as Leonard helped him up, "Bitch almost killed me!"  
  
"I hit him?" Helena asked confused.  
  
"Take him out," Leonard ordered the guards, "and wait for me." The guards left Helena and helped the man out. Helena brushed a lock of hair away and looked at Leonard ashamed; she didn't understand what was happening.  
  
"What happened to you Kyle?" Leonard asked as he came closer to her.  
  
"I don't remember... I came to look for the bottles, and when I wanted to leave, he was here and... I don't I remember."  
  
"You hurt him seriously, he could sue us."  
  
"I'm sorry Leonard, I don't know that happened"  
  
"Go rest..."  
  
"But..."  
  
"Go! I'll see you in three days, I don't want to talk to you," Leonard turned and left. 


	2. Out of Control

"This is very well done," Barbara said to Dinah while she checked her notes in the dining room, "you could improve it by giving these some graphics."  
  
"Would you let me take the laptop to the school?" Dinah asked.  
  
"Of course, it's worthwhile; I will load some data on for you later," Barbara replied. They heard the elevator door open and watched Helena enter with a very dark expression. She opened the fridge, took out a coke and closed the door while taking a sip from the can. Barbara and Dinah looked at her surprised.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Barbara asked "You should be at work."  
  
"Problems," Helena collapsed into a neighboring chair.  
  
"Problems? What kind of problems?" Barbara asked raising her eyebrow. Helena kept silent and took another sip out of her coke.  
  
"What happened?" Barbara asked.  
  
"I hit a man..." Helena replied.  
  
"What?" Barbara set Dinah's books aside.  
  
"I hit a man, Leonard had to remove me from him... he was really concerned so he gave me three days off."  
  
"What did that man do to you?" Dinah asked surprised.  
  
"... He was bothering me at the bar, Leonard sent me to go get some stuff and he followed me."  
  
"And?" Barbara asked looking at her.  
  
"... I don't know, I don't remember."  
  
"How can you not remember?" Barbara asked again.  
  
"I don't remember..." Helena bit her lips "all I know was that two guards were holding me back and I saw him on the floor bleeding... I don't know what happened; I don't remember having ever hitting him!"  
  
"I don't like this," Barbara muttered to herself.  
  
"Barbara, it totally freaked me out."  
  
The Delphi alarm interrupted them.  
  
"We'll talk about this later," Barbara said as she approached the monitors, "Oh and I'd appreciate it if you don't avoid me," she said turning back at Helena. They reached the monitors and Barbara set out typing on the computer. "It's the main bank, there's been an assault.  
  
"This time of the day?" Huntress asked, "What are they? Dumb?"  
  
"Today's the cross over of old to new money at the currency house, they're gonna burn the old money," Barbara said as she read the data on her monitor, "You better hurry." Helena ran off to get changed.  
  
Barbara turned to Dinah, "You too."  
  
"Me?" Dinah smiled "Seriously?"  
  
"Yes, hurry" Barbara stopped Dinah by the arm "Take care of her," she said in low voice, "something is wrong."   
  
* * *  
  
The bank was madness the moment that Dinah and Huntress arrived; from a neighboring roof they observed the movement.  
  
"Gonna be a bit difficult for them to leave," Dinah said.  
  
"I don't think they were dumb enough not to plan an escape route," Huntress replied.  
  
* * * "You're right Huntress," Barbara said as she searched the maps of new Gotham, "The bank has a tunnel that ends up at the park, it's a sewer, it was part of an old building in old Gotham."  
  
* * *  
  
"We can wait for them there!" Dinah said.  
  
"Or we can at least intercept them!" Huntress replied.  
  
After a few minutes, both girls arrived at the park, just as the thieves were exiting the sewers with bags of money in their hands.  
  
"Bingo," Huntress said, "once again you're dead on Oracle; we have six men at sight."  
  
::Be careful:: Barbara replied. They surprised the men. While Dinah took on two of them, Huntress went after the remaining 4. Dinah used her mental power to throw one of them into a tree and rendered the other unconscious with a kick to the jaw. She looked up to see if Huntress needed help.  
  
Huntress had already knocked one of them out, and just rendered another one unconscious, she approached the remaining two, smiling. They raised their hands "we surrender," they said. Helena didn't seem to listen and launched into a fury of punches and kicks aimed towards them.  
  
"Huntress!" Dinah shouted, "They surrendered, they gave up!!!"  
  
Helena continued attacking the men, Dinah tried to pull her back by her arm but Huntress turns around and hit her in the face.  
  
"Barbara! She's gone mad," Dinah said picking herself up from the grass.  
  
:: What? ::  
  
"Huntress has gone mad. I tried to stop her but she hit me," Dinah replied.  
  
:: Huntress, Huntress! Do you copy? :: Barbara yelled in the mic.  
  
Dinah watched as Helena attacked the men violently, she had to stop her. She ran over to Helena and jumped on her back, both toppled over onto the grass.  
  
"Huntress hold on!" she said.  
  
Huntress began to fight Dinah off; she flipped Dinah onto her back and threw a punch at her. Dinah grabbed the fist and suddenly an image of a scarecrow flooded her mind. Frightened she accidentally used her mental powers to throw Huntress off, causing the older woman to fly backwards into a tree. Helena tried standing up but Dinah forced her to the ground face down and twisted her arm behind her back. "Will you just stay still," Dinah said harshly.  
  
"What?" Helena asked surprised, "What are you doing?"  
  
"Will you clam down?" Dinah asked.  
  
"Yeah, okay, I'm calm, I'm calm. Let go of me! You're hurting me!" Helena replied.  
  
Dinah let go of Huntress, she looked straight into her face as Helena sat up.  
  
"What the hell happened to you?" Helena said as she moved her arm about.  
  
"No, what the hell happened to you?" Dinah replied.  
  
:: Is everything okay? :: Barbara asked :: Huntress? ::  
  
"She's okay now," Dinah tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, "She's calmed down now."  
  
:: The thieves? ::  
  
Dinah looked at the unconscious bodies of the thieves and said, "No one escaped, call the police, we're going."  
  
"What happened?" Helena got up looking at the men on the ground.  
  
"You're telling me you don't remember?" Dinah asked helping Helena up.  
  
"No, I don't" Helena looks at her seriously.  
  
"You don't even remember attacking me either?"  
  
"I did?"  
  
:: You two, back to the tower now :: came Barbara's voice over the comm :: I need to speak to both of you ::  
  
* * *  
  
As dawn began to break over New Gotham, Barbara sat on the balcony reflecting over the past 24 hours of Helena's behavior. It worried her that Helena didn't remember a thing or remember attacking Dinah. At first she thought Helena might have been affected by something but the test results came through negative, everything was normal.  
  
"Are you ok?" Dinah's voice shook her out of her thoughts.  
  
"Yes. Why are you awake so early?" she asked.  
  
"I couldn't sleep, kept thinking of Helena... what about you?"  
  
"No..." Barbara played with her fingers, "What if it happens again and none of us are there to stop her?" she asked.  
  
"What you going to do? Ground her?" Dinah asked.  
  
"Lord no! Of course not, but there must be something... I need to know what is, to stop it, and in the meantime... we cannot leave her alone."  
  
"Helena won't like it," Dinah replied folding her arms.  
  
"I know," Barbara replied.  
  
"Barbara, when I touched her. I saw something..." Dinah said after a moment's pause.  
  
"What did you see?"  
  
"It's strange, the figure of a scarecrow, it gave me the chills,"  
  
"A scarecrow?" Barbara repeated, "That doesn't make any sense."  
  
"Yeah, but it scared the hell out of me."  
  
* * *  
  
Reese had called Helena and Dinah to show them several pictures of a recent murder. They had been in an empty street of New Gotham city.  
  
"Their hearts stopped?" Dinah asked looking at one of the pictures, "The men have a scared expression in their faces."  
  
"They died of fear?" Helena gave some more pictures to Dinah.  
  
"It seems like it." Reese said. "I haven't found another explanation, and I've seen many strange things with you that really surprise me."  
  
"Is there some relationship between them?" Helena asked.  
  
"We're working on that. How do you feel?" Reese looked her.  
  
"Fine." Helena answered absentmindedly looking a picture. "Why?"  
  
"Remember two days ago?"  
  
Helena didn't like question and tried to avoid it "Um ok. May I keep this pictures?"  
  
"I thought you were going to kill him." he insisted.  
  
"You don't know me." Helena said angry, she felt uncomfortable.  
  
"Hey. easy" Reese felt her aggressiveness and looked at her face "I'm trying to help, what happened with you?"  
  
"Nothing. just was a bad day."  
  
"And today too, huh?"  
  
"Just was a bad day Reese, I don't want to talk about that, I'm ashamed enough of it already."  
  
::Huntress:: she heard Oracle's voice:: An alarm was activated in the the big warehouse on Main Avenue::  
  
"There's been an assault Reese, at the big warehouse on Main Avenue." Helena said to him. "I need to go."  
  
"I'll call the police" said Reese running to his car.  
  
"Dinah, let's go!"  
  
***  
  
Dinah and Helena hid behind a wall. A truck was driving through the alley with the lights off.  
  
"They work quickly." Dinah said.  
  
"I'll stop the truck, and attack the driver. Behind must be the other thieves. They're sure to come out when I stop it. Be careful Dinah."  
  
Huntress jumped to the driver's window, the man was surprised, Helena hit his face and she turned the steering wheel against the wall. She jumped out before it impacted. The rear door of the truck opened and several men with weapons got out.  
  
Dinah immediately disarmed two of them and began to fight them. Huntress jumped over a third man and threw him onto the floor. Three more thieves left the truck and attacked her.  
  
:: Is everything ok? :: they heard Oracle ask.  
  
"Excellent." Huntress bent over to avoid a blow. All these thieves have a good sense of fashion, they choose stylish clothes."  
  
In few seconds the girls subjected them. Suddenly, one of the men that Dinah hit tried to escape through an alley.  
  
"He's mine" Huntress came out running behind him.  
  
:: The police are coming down the road:: Oracle warned.  
  
"They'll need to fish for the men." Dinah said looking all the men laying in the floor "Helena was after one that ran away"  
  
:: Follow her, don't leave her alone::  
  
"Okay, I'm on my way."  
  
::Call me if there any problems::  
  
* * *  
  
Barbara recorded a database from one system to another, trying to analyze the pictures that Reese had taken. Seeing the faces of the men have her a slight chill. Suddenly she heard the voice of Dinah in the mic.  
  
:: Barbara happened again:: she said.  
  
"How did it happen again?" Barbara asked while Alfred came closer to listen to the conversation from behind.  
  
:: I folllowed Huntress:: Dinah explained :: She and the thief went to the back of a house, she had him cornered, the man cried asking her to go away .He was terrified; Huntress seemed to enjoy his fear. She began to hit him and didn't listen me, I lifted her with my telekinesis, and I threw her in the side of the house... ::  
  
"Why did you do that?"  
  
:: I didn't have a choice Barbara, the cold water got her to react, although I believe that I ruined her new jacket::  
  
"Where are you?"  
  
:: In the apartment above the Bar, she came to change her clothes::  
  
Barbara took a deep sigh and looked with concern at Alfred, they needed stop her. "Return to the tower as soon as possible." She said.  
  
"Ok, Dinah out." 


	3. What's going on?

Helena and Dinah entered the laboratory. Dinah sat down in a seat and Huntress leaned on a desk near Barbara Her face was serious. Barbara stopped working on the computer and rotated the wheelchair to face her, took out her eyeglasses, and asked with concern, "What happened now?"  
  
"I don't know..." Helena bit her lips.  
  
"You can't remember anything?"  
  
"No..." she began to walk in circles without being able to hide her anxiety "Everything was okay and suddenly I awoke and was someplace else... and I don't remember anything!... What's happening to me Barbara?" she looked at her trying to find an answer.  
  
"I still don't know," Barbara leaned on her seat and crossed the fingers of her hands "I'm at a dead end."  
  
"Anything is possible for you Miss Barbara." Alfred said coming in the lab, giving Helena a couple of aspirins and a glass of water.  
  
"What is this?" Helena asked to Alfred.  
  
"Miss Dinah gave you a good soaking in ice water, its cold outside, and it would not be good for you to sick at this time."  
  
"Call it prevention." Barbara said, "Take them." Helena obeyed.  
  
"As Batgirl." Alfred continued talking to Barbara ". you used solve more difficult cases than this one."  
  
"Yes, as Batgirl, but I am not Batgirl anymore."  
  
"I know, now you are a detective with incredibly sharp senses, more than when you were Batgirl. Therefore, you will be able to effectively find a solution to this problem." Alfred smiled and left the room, taking the empty glass.  
  
"Good point." Dinah couldn't avoid a smile.  
  
Barbara meditated in silence a few minutes. "Okay," she said finally. "Helena, you are dangerous, you could hurt seriously somebody. It will be better if you don't patrol until we discover what's happening to you"  
  
"Who are you to tell me what I can and can't do?" Helena said annoyed.  
  
"Helena," Barbara explained surprised, "you are loosing the control of yourself. You can kill."  
  
Helena leaned her hands against the arms of the wheelchair and faced her. Barbara felt immediately that something was wrong.  
  
"Barbara Gordon." Helena smiled while her eyes transformed in cat eyes, Oracle felt a chill when seeing it. "Commissioner Gordon's daughter, the intrepid Batgirl, if you couldn't stop me before, do you believe that will be able to do it now? Do you believe you will be able to stop the fear?"  
  
Helena pushed the wheelchair back hard, crashing it against the table of a computer. "How will you stop me?" Huntress shouted furiously.  
  
"Calm down!" Dinah pulled her arm. Helena turned and threw her against the neighboring table knocking down some equipment; Helena tried to hit her, when Barbara shouted for her to stop, the youth turn to her.  
  
"Never tell me what I have to do again!" Helena said angrily and attempting to send her a blow that Barbara stopped with her hand.  
  
"Enough Helena!" Barbara shouted her.  
  
"I waited too long for this." Helena grunted and tried to hit her with the other arm but Barbara knowingly stopped it again.  
  
"Helena, listen to me." Barbara requested looking into her eyes and trying to recognize Helena in them. They were her eyes but they looked strange and scared her. "You calm down and listen to me."  
  
"Sorry, I've waited too long. I won't give you more time."  
  
Dinah arrived at that moment and grabbed Huntress' arm, who moved quickly and grabbed her on the lapel and slammed her hard against a monitor. Dinah fell stunned to the floor. Helena came toward her mentor and took her neck with her for hands and began to strangle her.  
  
"Helena... I can't breathe!" Barbara mumbled and tried to take her hands off but the youth was too strong.  
  
"Your time is over." Helena said smiling and pressing harder.  
  
"Helena." Barbara began to suffocate and looked desperately to Dinah, who was still dazed on the floor, Helena was totally out of control, and her efforts were useless and began to feel that she losing consciousness.  
  
Suddenly Helena groaned and released her as she started to convulse. Barbara opened her mouth to breathe in all air that she could, and put her hand to her neck. Huntress was convulsing a few more seconds and fell onto to the floor. Barbara could see Alfred at her side; he raised his hand and showed her an electric shock gun.  
  
"I'm sorry Miss Helena." the butler said looking at the youth girl lying in the floor.  
  
"Alfred...." Barbara mumbled massaging her neck. "Thank God that you were here... Dinah?"  
  
"I'm..." Dinah rose with a bleeding nose.  
  
Barbara move her seat toward her "We need to take care of that."  
  
"How are you?" Dinah asked rosing her head.  
  
"Okay, she choked me a little." Barbara looked back searching for Helena. Alfred was standing over her, Helena's eyes were half open, and she began to react after the electric discharge that she had just received.  
  
"She will be fine in a couple of minutes." Alfred asked the girl "How do you feel Miss Helena?"  
  
"What happened to me...?" Helena was shocked.  
  
"You had another attack." Barbara explained bringing the wheelchair near her and touching her cheek. "You attacked us, and thanks to Alfred you didn't kill us. Take her to the infirmary Alfred. I have to examine her again."  
  
"Can you get up?" Alfred asked Helena.  
  
"Give me one second... I've got awful cramps from that thing..."  
  
"My fault." Alfred showed her the electric gun. "I didn't have a choice."  
  
"Oh, God..." Helena closed her eyes.  
  
* * *  
  
"I almost killed you! This can't go on!" Helena put her hands on the table in the infirmary near the computer room, and lowered her head, her hair covering her face. Barbara, Dinah and Alfred contemplated her in silence without knowing what to say They understood her rage and frustration.  
  
After about a second, Helena put her head up and looked fixedly at Barbara.  
  
"Barbara..." she asked, "You must stop me, put me to sleep."  
  
Dinah looked her confused. "What are you talking about?" "In a few hours, I won't be able to control myself, and none of you will be able to stop me. "  
  
"You can't do that!" Dinah told Barbara.  
  
"But you have to do it, This is happening more frequently. Look what I did to you! I almost killed you, Barbara!" Huntress focused her eyes on her mentor again. "Drug me, make me fall asleep, make me anything that you believe is convenient but don't let me free... please, I beg you. If something happens to you, I'll never forgive myself!"  
  
Barbara pressed her lips. This was a very painful decision, but she knew that Huntress was right. It wasn't easy to accept that she would lose the control again, and maybe they wouldn't be able to stop her. They needed to contain her.  
  
"Okay..." Barbara mumbled.  
  
"You can't do it" Dinah faced her concerned.  
  
Helena lowered her head again. She didn't understand why this was happening to her, or how to avoid it.  
  
"We should do it Dinah." Barbara said in an energetic tone, "Until we stop this. It isn't an easy decision, I'm not happy about this, neither is Helena, but we have to face the fact that we won't be able to stop her the next time!"  
  
"Miss Helena is going to be fine." Alfred said coming closer to Helena and putting a hand on her shoulder "At least she'll be at home."  
  
"We need time to protect her and us," Barbara sighed and looked Helena "to avoid any incident, it will be necessary to drug you... Alfred will prepare everything." Alfred nodded as he went away.  
  
"It's for the best." Helena breathed deeply. "'I'll go with Alfred"  
  
Barbara swallowed with difficulty, the tears were about to fall from her eyes, Dinah looked at her and understood at that moment the difficult decision that she had to make.  
  
* * *  
  
Alfred had placed some things on a table when Barbara arrived. Helena was seated on an iron bed in the middle of the infirmary. Barbara checked some tubes and drove the wheelchair closer to Helena." Well, go to bed", she ordered. Alfred came closer with the cart. Barbara took one of bulbs, while Helena observed her nervously. She didn't like this but it was the best thing for the moment. She had hurt Barbara and Dinah. If not for Alfred, she would have killed them.  
  
"I'm going to sedate you." Barbara explained preparing the syringe. "You won't be unconscious, only a little asleep. I need to study your reactions for at least the next 12 hours and depending on it, I will apply another dose or put you to sleep you completely." Barbara took Helena's arm and injected the liquid. "I'll be with you, don't worry, this works quickly."  
  
Helena frowned. "Do you believe that it will be enough?"  
  
"I hope so." Barbara gave the syringe to Alfred and cleaned the wound with a cotton swab. "Your changes have become more frequent. I'm going to stop them."  
  
Dinah came out into the room at that moment and she was standing close to a nearby wall to see. She didn't like what was happening. Barbara took a metallic diadem, and placed it on Helena's forehead.  
  
"I will be able to read your brainwaves," said Barbara "...and know when you begin to lose your temper." Then she placed some devices on her chest and connected them to the base of the table. "I also need to monitor your heart rhythm." she explained.  
  
"Wouldn't it be better if you put me to sleep?" Huntress asked feeling an enormous heaviness in her body.  
  
"No, because then I wouldn't be able to determine the moment when you change." Barbara explained to her and went to the computer. "I need to detect it to be able to help you." she adjusted some buttons. "Here is where I will be able to know when there's some change. Dinah come here and watch over this while I connect it."  
  
Barbara returned to Huntress and she asked her to see her eyes.  
  
"How do you feel?" she asked her, lighting a small lamp and shining it on one of her pupils.  
  
"Worse than after getting drunk." "You're accustomed to that, you'll survive." Barbara lowered her head to turn on some switches under the table.  
  
"Oracle..." Dinah called her. Barbara raised her head  
  
"What happened?"  
  
Dinah pointed at the screen and Barbara saw a sudden interference in ther brainwaves. Quickly she looked at the screen. Helena observed her with her cat's eyes. She felt a chill traveling down her back.  
  
"Barbara Gordon, you can't escape from me..." Helena said triying to grab her, Barbara avoided it with a quick movement and pushed back her wheelchair. Helena wanted to get up, but she fell to the floor because of the effects of the sedative. They were all confused. Barbara looked at the monitor again from a distance, the altered lines in it were moving in an odd way.  
  
"Touch her Dinah!" She shouted to the girl.  
  
Helena tried to lean on in the edge of the bed, but she fell on the floor again, the drug had become effective and wouldn't let her move.  
  
"What?" Dinah asked surprised.  
  
"Touch her and tell me that you see... she won't be able to move, the sedative is working."  
  
"What happened to me?" Helena asked leaning on the floor and raising her head to see Barbara. "I will catch you... sooner or later I will catch you."  
  
Dinah leaned next to Huntress and touched her hand. Suddenly everything was dark, and for no reason she became very afraid, her heart began to beat quickly.  
  
"Helena?" she shouted. "Helena where are you?" she didn't know where to walk, and couldn't see anything, no windows, doors, anything, only total darkness. At the distance saw a person, and walked slowly toward her.  
  
"Helena?" she said "It's me, Dinah!"  
  
The silhouette turned, it was a scarecrow. Dinah felt her blood freeze, the terror invaded her. "What are you doing here?" the scarecrow was angry. "She's mine!!"  
  
Dinah panicked and screamed, loosing Helena's hand. She jumped back and crashed against the Barbara's wheelchair.  
  
"Calm down Dinah, calm down." Barbara touched her shoulder. Dinah breathed excitedly. What was inside Helena's mind that made Dinah react this way?  
  
"It was.Scarecrow again." Dinah spoke hurriedly and fearfully. "I saw him another time, it was a very dark place, and everything was black"  
  
"Dinah, calm down, breathe." Barbara made her turn to see her. "Breathe deep... What did you see?"  
  
"That horrible scarecrow, he told me that I should leave, that she was his..."  
  
"Helena's brainwaves are normal again." Alfred said watching the monitor. "The interference has disapppeared."  
  
Barbara came closer to Helena. Her head was down, eyes closed. She breathed normally. "Helena, are you okay?" Barbara asked her smoothy, brushing the hair away from her face.  
  
"... I am. here" Helena was too drowsy.  
  
Barbara asked Alfred and Dinah help her to go up and place Helena on the bed. When they did, Barbara placed her wheelchair next to her.  
  
"Do you hear to me?" she asked touching her cheek, Helena tried to open her eyes, Barbara knew that she was listening and asked another question. "Do you remember what you did?"  
  
".don't. don't understand..." she spoke quietly.  
  
"Did you remember something?" Barbara insisted.  
  
"Barbara.... what's going on?. what's. happening?" Helena grunted and tried to wake up.  
  
"No!!" Barbara held her. "Everything is alright. Relax, relax Helena"  
  
"Did. Did I do. something wrong??"  
  
"No, just sleep a while." Barbara smiled and caressed her hair a few minutes until Huntress fell asleep. "Alfred," she said then, "We better secure her to the bed. There are some metallic bands in the drawer. You can attach them to the bed. I don't want her to give us another fright." Barbara turned the wheelchair to Dinah.  
  
"What did you feel when you touched Helena in the park?" she asked her.  
  
"A chill. fear" Dinah said.  
  
"Terror?"  
  
"Yes..."  
  
"And when the two men that told her that they surrendered?.What happened?"  
  
"... They looked frightened, it was strange that they asked to surrender without even putting up a fight."  
  
Barbara bit her lip and asked: "And when you touched her a moment ago?"  
  
Dinah crossed her arms "... it was really terrifying...and when I saw her eyes I felt, I felt a lot of fear."  
  
"What are you thinking Barbara? You have that look on your face."  
  
"I believe I know what is going to happen. Help Alfred and meet me at the lab when you finished." 


	4. Nightmares

Thanks to Harley Fan & Cateyes to help me editing this chapter and the next, was cool!!!!!  
  
******  
  
A few minutes later Dinah came closer to Barbara, she was intrigued and stopped behind her.  
  
"Helena's asleep, Alfred's taking care of her" she told her.  
  
"That's Alfred" Barbara forced a smile  
  
"What did you find?"  
  
"Did you say you saw the Scarecrow twice?  
  
"Yes..."  
  
"I remember an old enemy" Barbara opened a screen of the computer and began to read the information that she had found:  
  
Dr. Jonathan Crane was a professor of Psychology at Gotham University, specializing in the 'psychology of fear. Ace had grown up there, where he was bullied for his bookishness and his gangly figure. He was granted a scholarship and became Scarecrow to get even with the bullies at school. After his dismissal from Gotham U. he killed those people responsible for his dismissal.  
  
Crane lacked true super-powers but was especially agile and strong for his wiry frame. he was also well-versed in psychology and eventually developed sufficient expertise in chemistry to design custom hallucinogens. Crane is a normal human when stripped of his weapons and chemical.  
  
His modus operandi was based on his own obsessions with psychology and an insulting description used by his colleagues: Jonathan Crane was known as The Scarecrow, obsessed with cruelty and fear.  
  
"That would explain the fear..." Dinah said ".but I don't understand why and how he did it to Helena?  
  
"I remember once. Scarecrow caused Batman to imagine that all his friends and colleagues had vanished into thin air it's a aggressive form of autophobia (fear of isolation). Losing his friends, Batman turned to an enemy. Selina Kyle, to help track down the Scarecrow. this marriage brought the two close together."  
  
Dinah open her eyes surprised "That's true?"  
  
"Of course, do you think that I'm joking?"  
  
"Does he know who Helena is?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah, somehow he knows Selena Kyle was her mother, but I don't believe that he knows she is the daughter of his arch -enemy Batman. In some occasions I faced him..."  
  
"But she. he called you Batgirl, How does he know that if he never saw you without your mask?"  
  
"We were talking about it a few minutes before she attacked us here, maybe in that moment he took control of Huntress"  
  
"How he could take possession of her mind? She is too strong!" Dinah asked intrigued.  
  
Barbara wheeled to the monitor of the right and typed quickly, the taped graphics of Huntress appeared on the screen, she showed them to Dinah "Look, these are Helena's normal brain waves" Barbara opened an alternating screen "and this is the taped graphic when you watched the change..."  
  
"It seems like as. an interference..." "Some animals develop senses, hearing is one of them, they can hear abnormally high frequencies, unperceptible to the human hearing"  
  
"Helena's not an animal" Dinah refuted.  
  
"But she isn't completely human either , she is a human being with abilities and perceptions of a feline... Scarecrow is interfering with her mind using a very high frequency that only she can perceive and that blocks her own mind completely, that's why she couldn't remember anything."  
  
"But the first time that it happened, Helena remembered it, with Reese"  
  
"Yes, but the Scarecrow could be gauging the sign to her brain"  
  
"If he is using her... why?"  
  
Barbara leaned in her seat and she meditated a few seconds "Rather like a personal revenge against Selina, she helped Batman to trap him. He should be informed that Batman disappeared a long time ago, and it's impossible that he knows the connection between Selina, Batman and Helena."  
  
"But if the Scarecrow specializes in fear why didn't he attack Helena as he used to do?" Dinah looked at Helena sleeping in the lab.  
  
"He is attacking her, for someone that was in jail so many years, perhaps it was too easy just kill her. He's enjoying manipulating the daughter of the woman that helped Batman; it was impossible to take revenge on Selina, so he went after Helena... and in the process he found me."  
  
"Barbara" Dinah told her "if he takes possession of her mind, in any moment he can kill her using terror as a weapon or when he discovers that we know who is he and that you drugged Helena so he couldn't use her..."  
  
"Not if I stop Helena's brain from receiving that signal" Barbara took her wheelchair off to the lab, "I have to work on a device that blocks the signal in Helena's brain."  
  
* * *  
  
Helena slowly opened her eyes, she was still in the infirmary, her first though was how long had she been sleeping? She turned her head to the right and saw Barbara working at a table, illuminated with a small lamp. She tried to get up but she realized that she was tied.  
  
"What damn.?" Helena groan.  
  
"I'm sorry, give me a second" Barbara looked at her. Leaving a screwdriver on the table she grabbed a small object.  
  
"Why did you tie me up?"  
  
"It's just precaution, you had an outburst of spite about being drugged and tried to wake up a few hours ago" Barbara wheeled close to Helena "How do you feel"  
  
"A little drowsy . Are you going to drug me again? It's awful."  
  
"No, I don't think so. Don't move" Barbara told her, removing one of her earrings.  
  
"What are you doing?  
  
"We discovered what's happening, your brain waves."  
  
"Please." Helena asked ".I'm still drugged .explain it to me in an easy way"  
  
"Alright, someone is using a high frequency signal that only you can perceive, the signal blocks you, and he takes control of your mind, consequently you don't remember anything." Barbara placed the new earring in Helena's ear.  
  
"Like being possessed??"  
  
"Exactly, I taped the interference that appeared in the monitor during the last attack you had and I could find the frequency, I worked the whole night making this device that will block it"  
  
"Who is he?"  
  
"An old enemy, Scarecrow." Barbara kept the old earring in her pocket.  
  
"Scarecrow? Funny name."  
  
"But he isn't funny, he kills with fear. The most dangerous thing is that he knows that you are Selina's daughter and that I was Batgirl. I'm sure that he's connected with the murders too and."  
  
"Barbara." Helena interrupted her "I'm really interested in this, but I'll feel better if you untie me, this is uncomfortable"  
  
"Oh. sorry"  
  
* * *  
  
"That scarecrow really scares me" Dinah said to Barbara while they walked the corridors of the school "How was it fighting against him?"  
  
"Not very pleasant and nothing advisable," Barbara responded "He employs substances that make your deepest fears grow and then uses them against you"  
  
"It sounds terrifying"  
  
"It is..." Barbara stopped in the door of her classroom.  
  
"Now that he can't control Helena's mind, What do you believe is going to be the next step?"  
  
"Well, does he know that we know who he is? Knowing his gnarled mind, his priority is to take vengeance for the past. He'll surely wait for the best opportunity to attack Helena or me, the order doesn't matter, he is going to look for us.  
  
"I have an exam tomorrow, we're going to be studying at Gaby's house tonight."  
  
"That's fine ... but come home early."  
  
"Ok"  
  
Barbara smiled as the bell announcing the beginning of classes rang and they said goodbye.  
  
* * *  
  
"Helena stop playing with that" Barbara entered the laboratory and wheeled herself over to Helena and took the piece out of her hands.  
  
"What is that? It's kinda looks like a spider..."  
  
"A very fragile sensor that is more expensive than this whole building." Barbara placed it in a box and closed it. She went to her monitor.  
  
"Oh....!" Helena shrank her shoulders.  
  
"Did you talk with Reese?"  
  
"Yes, he was a little annoyed with me because of my 'disappearance '" she raised her fingers "it's difficult to give explanations... I'm not used to it."  
  
Barbara smiled while she pressed the keys of the keyboard "It's normal that he would worried about you, he loves you"  
  
"I know it, but it's difficult because I've never depended on anybody. mainly for our work"  
  
"You will have to learn how to manage it, if you want your relationship to grow. Don't get scared, it's a normal process."  
  
Helena raised her brows and moved her head "Where is Dinah?"  
  
"She has an exam tomorrow, she's at Gabby's studying" Barbara opened a screen of her monitor and said "Why don't you go to sleep? We can wait until tomorrow to know the results of the analysis that I made from the blood of the dead man. We deserve a peaceful night"  
  
* * *  
  
Helena jumped across the roofs of the buildings. It was a cold night. She arrived at the bar and went up the stairs, when she went into her apartment, she perceived a strange scent, her senses became sharp and her eyes changed.  
  
She entered without turning on the light and checked around the room. She looked at her bedroom door, which was half open, the lamp on her desk on. She opened the door slowly, her eyes couldn't believe what they were seeing. Barbara was on the floor next to the bed with a knife in her stomach in an enormous puddle of blood. Helena felt a chill go down her spine.  
  
She opened her mouth, certain that this couldn't be happening. She had just spoken with her a few minutes ago, what happened? Barbara was breathing hard from the mouth, and moved her head when entered, Barbara looked up at her, on her face was reflected an enormous sadness.  
  
"Helena..." she mumbled almost imperceptibly.  
  
"Oh, God" Helena knelt down next to her, she wanted to stop the hemorrhage with her hands but the wound was too big, "Barbara Who did this to you?" her eyes began to become moist. "Was it the scarecrow? Was it him? Hold on, please, hold on" Helena looked her hands they were soaked with blood she was suddenly paralyzed, her mind returned to the past, to that terrible night when her mother had died, she again felt the pain, the cold and the hole.  
  
Helena looked at Barbara's face, she looked lost , the same way her mother had before she died. "No!" she exclaimed " not you please, not you!" Helena hugged her strongly "Dinah!" she screamed into the Mic. "Dinah! Where are you? "  
  
* * *  
  
Dinah was in the kitchen reviewing her books when she heard Helena's voice, she placed her hand over her ear to listen better.  
  
"I'm here Huntress, What's happened?" she said immediately.  
  
:: The scarecrow attacked Barbara, she's hurt bad! ::  
  
"What?" Dinah asked confused "What are talking about?"  
  
::Call an ambulance please, I'm in my apartment, I can't stop the hemorrhage! "  
  
"Are you okay?"  
  
:: Just call the ambulance! :: Huntress screamed in anger again.  
  
Barbara was seated in front of Dinah grading some exams from school, she stopped and looked at Dinah.  
  
"What happened?" she asked the blond youth.  
  
"I don't understand, Helena said that you're hurt in her apartment and wants me to call an ambulance"  
  
"Damn!" Barbara pressed her teeth, immediately she knew that the scarecrow was with Helena "tell her that it's an illusion!" Barbara turned her wheelchair.  
  
"Helena," the girl obeyed "It's an illusion, Barbara's with me, get out of there!"  
  
:: Dinah, just call the ambulance! :: she listened to the furious answer of Huntress.  
  
Dinah ran after Barbara saying, "she didn't listen to me!"  
  
* * *  
  
Helena went to the bathroom and she returned with a towel to place on Barbara's wound.  
  
"Hold on, you are going to be ok"  
  
" why if it isn't The little Helena Kyle" a voice made her turned around , the Scarecrow was stopped in front of the door looking at her, she felt a chill travel through her.  
  
"You did it..." Helena looked at him with fury.  
  
"Why suddenly did I lose contact with you Helena Kyle?" he smiled walking toward her "We were having a good time.... What did you do?"  
  
"I will kill you..." she got up nailing her look in him.  
  
:: Helena, I'm fine!! :: she heard Barbara's voice in the Mic.:: it's an illusion, get out of there! ::  
  
Helena stopped, but she didn't understand what she had just heard. She looked again to the floor, Barbara was there, How she could she be talking to her in the Mic.?  
  
:: Helena I'm in the clock tower:: Barbara screamed at her again in the Mic. ::The scarecrow built an illusion around you. Listen to me, this is my voice, you know it, breathe deep and calm down, I'm Barbara, I'm fine.::  
  
Helena swallowed, her heart beat faster, she tried to be in control, suddenly Barbara's image in the floor disappeared before her eyes.  
  
* * *  
  
Barbara looked at Dinah with an enormous concern, "We have to go immediately" she said taking a Mic. that she kept in a box and turning her wheelchair toward the elevator.  
  
* * *  
  
From the scarecrow echoed spasms of macabre laughter. Helena wrestled internally, trying to avoid the fear that invaded her. She walked toward him, her eyes were two thin lines, she couldn't hide the rage inside her.  
  
"Do you wanna fight me Helena Kyle?" he laughed sarcastically "First you must talk with my friends." Several bats entered the room and rushed to her. Helena covered her face with her hands and walked back, toward a corner of the room. She had never felt frightened by those animals but in that moment the panic invaded her, she couldn't avoid it.  
  
"They scare you girl?" the Scarecrow howled in deep laughter looking at her "Curious... very curious"  
  
Helena tried not to forget Barbara's words. The fear was a product of some kind of substance. She remembered the smell in that moment. The smell that she had perceived when she arrived at the apartment, surely that was a drug she had inhaled.  
  
She tried to avoid thinking and rushed into the surprised Scarecrow. They fell in the floor and began to fight and Helena threw him through the door of her apartment, the gloomy figure fell downstairs, to the bar. Helena jumped to the lower floor and got him up, suddenly, in front of her was the mythical figure of Batman. Her blood was frozen; she never imagined that him would produce that terror in her.  
  
"No..." she mumbled opening her eyes "not you..."  
  
Taking advantage of the moment Scarecrow kicked her and she hit her back against the bar, he punched her in the face and she went down.  
  
"Small Helena Kyle, you are stupid" he smiled grabbing her by the lapel, his face was in front of her "I am the king of the darkness" He buried his knee in her stomach and shattered her against the exhibitor showcase of glass at the center of the bar.  
  
Bottles, glasses, and shelves broke in pieces over her, Helena fell to the floor covering her face with her arms as a sharp pain in her left side made her press her teeth together. A fragment of glass had gotten buried in her side. She tried to take out it but was unsuccessful. She looked up, Batman was in front of her, she wanted to crawl back, but the fear paralyzed her.  
  
"Do you want me to rescue you Helena Kyle?" he asked her "Are you afraid of me? Why? Do you know me?" Scarecrow looked at her with curiosity. The youth was frightened by bats and the figure of Batman. The gas that he had used produce fears to old memories. Why Batman? Would she have known him? Or...?  
  
Helena tried to fight the panic, crawling back until she bumped the bar and tried to rest her side, the wound hurt her so much.  
  
Scarecrow leaned over her "Let me look at you. Who are you girl?" he laughed "this is going to be more amusing that I ever expected... I believe that we can still have a good time just you and me... I'm going to be your worst nightmare, my girl... The worst."  
  
Helena closed her eyes awaiting a blow, but nothing happened. Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder, she jump in their place.  
  
"Calm down, It's me..." Dinah was in front of to her.  
  
"Dinah..."  
  
"I'm here" Dinah touched her cheek.  
  
Helena was sweating, she looked behind Dinah "Where is he?" she asked.  
  
"Where is who?"  
  
"Batman..."  
  
"Batman's not here, scarecrow tranquilized you. He wouldn't ever be here." Dinah smiled at her and she came closer to whisper, "Your father doesn't want to see you, he knows that you're guilty... Because of you, he lost his true love, he doesn't want to know you."  
  
Helena was upset, her heart began to beat stronger, the images of that night in the street passed swiftly before there eyes. Dinah looked her with sweetness "You allowed her to die Helena, you allowed your mother to die... How can you live with that?"  
  
"No... I .."  
  
"Helena, you could have prevented it. I don't understand how you can live with that in your heart. You could have avoided it, and you didn't. You should have died instead of her." Dinah looked toward her wound "But you are hurt!" she took the glass with her hand and buried it a little more in her, Helena pressed her teeth together and closed her eyes she grabbed Dinah's hand .  
  
"Leave me alone ..." she mumbled.  
  
"No, let me finish it Helena," Dinah came near her face again.  
  
Helena tried to grab the hand that was pushing the glass, but Dinah held her free hand "I will help you to stop blaming yourself. I'll stop your suffering... end this whole nightmare. Your mother is dead, your father will never forgive you, so why do you want to live? You are alone Helena, you don't have anybody..."  
  
"You are not Dinah, go away...!" Helena breathed excitedly.  
  
"Allow me finish with you Helena Kyle," The blond youth became Scarecrow, leaning over her, Helena was still resting her side and she couldn't move, slowly he began to push his weight above the wound, burying the glass more. Helena let out screams of pain.  
  
Scarecrow whispered to her: "There won't be any more fear, you will have peace, it only will hurt just a moment."  
  
"Bastard...!" Huntress screamed trying to endure the pain.  
  
"Good-bye Helena Kyle..." 


	5. The Fear

A blow to the head from a batarang made Scarecrow fall.  
  
"Move away from her" Oracle's voice rang out as she took the weapon in her hands at its return.  
  
"Here Barbara Gordon!" he laughed sarcastically as he got up "It is still not your moment... as for her... Well ... we can prolong this a little bit." He showed them his hand with blood "... I have already advanced enough."  
  
Dinah felt the rage flood her and making a quick movement with her hand, threw him far from Helena. Scarecrow wasn't prepared for that, he decided that this was the moment to run away, also, it was more amusing that way. Prolonging agonies was his pleasure.  
  
"You choose, catch me or save her" he told Barbara and Dinah "We will see each other soon" Scarecrow ran down the stairwell and disappeared out the door.  
  
Dinah tried to run after him but Barbara stopped her "We'll have time later for that." she said.  
  
Helena was on her side in the corner of the bar service table, she breathed faster, the wound hurt her a lot. She tried to cover it with her right hand. She leaned her left forearm in the floor trying to get up.  
  
"Oh God.!" Barbara mumbled when seeing it. Dinah tried to come closer but Barbara stopped her. She knew that if Helena was affected by Scarecrow's drug, she could be dangerous. Helena was sweating and very weak, she fell on her right side groaning again. Barbara put away some pieces of metal and wheeled herself near her.  
  
"Helena.?" she called her smoothly "Helena it's me, Barbara, let me help you, you are hurt."  
  
"Go away..." she whispered.  
  
"Helena, please, look at me..." Barbara came closer. "I need to help you."  
  
"It was all my fault ..." Helena looked her "I killed her..."  
  
"You didn't kill anyone. God! Helena, you are bleeding!" Barbara told her.  
  
"I allowed my mom die. " The eyes of Huntress began to close "My dad hates me for that."  
  
Barbara took advantage of the moment to come even closer and put her hand smoothly on her thigh, she felt no rejection, and took off Helena's jacket that covered her waist. She could see the wound then, Helena held in her hand the piece of glass buried in her side, she was soaked in blood. Barbara closed her eyes and pressed the lips together.  
  
"That damned." she mumbled.  
  
"I'm afraid..." the youth said crying "... the bats, they're here."  
  
"I know that you are afraid," Barbara looked her worried "but nothing is here, it's just an illusion. Please Helena, I need take you out of here"  
  
Helena agreed with the head. Barbara looked at Dinah and she came closer.  
  
"It was my fault .. I let her die..." Helena whispered.  
  
"We need to remove the glass" Barbara told them "or we can hurt her even more"  
  
"Move the bats... move the bats..." Helena said with a low voice.  
  
"Helena it's me. Dinah." The blond youth leaned next to Helena.  
  
"They're still here. they want to hurt me." Helena had a lost look.  
  
"What?" Dinah looked at Barbara.  
  
"She is delirious Dinah, hurry up."  
  
"Sorry Helena, I'll take this off, it will hurt you a little" she told Helena smoothly. Dinah took the glass and removed it with a quick movement. Helena screamed. "It's okay, it's okay, it's already out" Dinah took a napkin off the bar and placed it on the wound. "I don't believe that she can walk..." she looked at Barbara "I'll have to load her."  
  
"Well, I'm going to open the Van..."  
  
* * *  
  
There's a compound that I'm not able to identify," Barbara said to Dinah while she observed a sample of blood in the microscope.  
  
"Here is the result that you asked me for" Dinah extended her a paper.  
  
Barbara read it and said "Oh God, I can't work on the antidote until I identify the compound. I need you to return to the bar and clean up any traces of blood before Leonel opens," she watched her clock "remember that Helena is not herself, but we are on time to save her. I also need you to check the apartment , if Helena breathed gas, as she told us, there should be a bulb or something like that there, look for a container of plastic, glass whatever."  
  
"How are you going to prepare that?"  
  
"Do you remember the procedure that we practiced last week?" Barbara asked Dinah, the youth nodded. "Well, I'm going to apply that but in reverse order, it's obviously using the component that we ignore at 30 percent. Does that satisfy your curiosity? Now go, the clock is ticking."  
  
Dinah agreed and she went to the elevator. Barbara raised her eyes so she could watch Helena she was on the second floor, on the sofa in the livingroom. She took off her eyeglasses and saw that she was moving restlessly.  
  
* * *  
  
The nightmares didn't allow Helena to sleep, she opened her eyes suddenly, shivering. She recognized the roof of the Clock tower and began to remember, Barbara and Dinah had rescued her in the bar and had taken her there. Barbara had been right, the panic that Scarecrow induced in people was really terrifying.  
  
She straightened out a little and looked to her wound, Barbara had placed a bandage around her waist after she had applied first aid. She leaned back again and closed her eyes, she felt all her body broken. She tried to rest but she couldn't, the fear that she was feeling didnt let her.  
  
Suddenly she felt danger, she opened her eyes, they had changed to cat eyes. She saw the Scarecrow standing in front of her.  
  
"Helena Kyle" he smiled "how do you feel?"  
  
Helena couldn't move because of the fear. Scarecrow leaned next to her and put one of his hands over the bandage in her waist, she followed his movements terrified.  
  
"I see, you are recovering, Still hurts?..."  
  
Helena felt a chill traveling her body. Remembering the pain that he had made feel her at the bar, she began to breathe excitedly.  
  
"Can we continue where we left off?..." Scarecrow opened a knife in front of her.  
  
"No..." Helena mumbled looking when he placed the edge of the knife in the bandage and began to cut it.  
  
* * *  
  
Barbara was in the laboratory, preparing a small syringe, similar to a pen. She placed it in the pocket of her jacket and went to the elevator. When she arrived at the living room Alfred was next to Helena, he heard her arriving and stood up. Barbara looked at the expression on the youth's face. She wheeled next to Helena.  
  
"He's here!" Helena told her looking frightened.  
  
"Listen to me Helena," Barbara took her head in her hands and looked to Helena's eyes They were still two slight lines, "You are under the effect of some drug, remember? Many things that you see and hear are not real. Scarecrow wants to drive you to madness or to the suicide. I am looking for the antidote, give me just a little more time."  
  
"No!" Helena straightened out.  
  
"Helena, you are safe!" Barbara exclaimed.  
  
"Scarecrow is here!" Helena fought to wake up, in spite of Barbara's efforts to restrain her.  
  
"You will injure yourself again, stay calm!"  
  
"No Barbara, he is here!" Helena got up.  
  
Alfred hugged her trying to stop her and she tried to hit him. Barbara took out the syringe and she injected it in her thigh with a quick movement.  
  
"Barbara... No!... " Helena pushed her hand off but it was too late.  
  
"Helena I need that you calm down!" shouted Barbara.  
  
"... It's a mistake.." She hesitated, then stepped back and stumbled with a table, her body began to loosen.  
  
Alfred held her to keep her from falling on the floor "What was that?" he asked looking at the syringe.  
  
"A tranquilizer," Barbara explained tooking her hair off her face "I brought it thinking that something like this could happen. I need to find that antidote soon."  
  
Alfred reclined Helena against the sofa.  
  
"Barbara... listen to me " the youth whispered fighting to avoid loosing consciousness "Be careful..."  
  
"I need you to calm down, please Helena" Barbara wiped her forehead with a napkin. "I hate do this to you."  
  
"Listen to me... he cut my ... dressing... wanted to kill me again. be careful."  
  
"No, was a dream."  
  
"Please Barbara." Helena couldn't avoid closing her eyes, then fell asleep.  
  
"Oh God, Helena, it was just a dream." Barbara examined Helena's wound, she opened her eyes surprised, the bandage was cut almost until the half.  
  
"The reality is sometimes more surprising than the fantasy" she heard a voice behind her and felt a strong blow to her head, everything became black. 


	6. Mind of Fear

Harley Fan and Reese Girl, Cateyes, thanks are great co-editors...  
  
*********************** Dinah arrived a few hours later to the Clock tower and she entered the control room.  
  
"Barbara, got it" she looked around. The computers were as usually working. She went up stairs. Helena wasn't in either of the rooms, she picked an empty syringe off the floor. Had Helena been hallucinating again? She heard the door of the elevator on the bottom floor.  
  
"Barbara?"  
  
"No, miss Dinah, it's Alfred" The old man responded.  
  
"I'm sorry. Scarecrow attacked Helena last night in her apartment, she is affected with a drug and hurt, we brought her here. Barbara looked for an antidote and she was missing a component, she sent me to Helena's apartment to look for some residue of the drug. I returned and they aren't here... Just this," she showed him an empty syringe " in the room where Helena was... Where are they? Helena couldn't move! and Barbara."  
  
"Did you already check in the safe-deposit monitors? They record all of the images automatically."  
  
Dinah went to the system and typed in the keyboard. Alfred stood behind her. The youth checked the images for several minutes.  
  
"... He was here" Dinah felt a chill in her spine when she saw the image of Scarecrow on the screen. How could he be there? Dinah continued checking the images. The following one was of Scarecrow sat down next to Helena in the room and Barbara arriving.  
  
"Alfred. she didn't see him, she was to his side. How could.?"  
  
"And if miss Barbara was also under the effect of the drug?" Both their faces darkened when they saw how Scarecrow attacked Barbara from behind.  
  
* * *  
  
Barbara heard her name in a dream. She felt like she was in a deep well, suddenly she began to distinguish a light in the distance. The Scarecrow had caught her off guard, she was so worried for Huntress that she didn't take precautions.  
  
Oracle was in a small, cool and damp room. She turned her body to the right and half-opened her lids. Helena was close to unconscious, sitting in the floor, with her hands chained to a pillar. She should have listened to her, now they were in a great danger, Helena's temperament was so strong and she was more concerned trying to control it than listening to her, that had been a big mistake.  
  
"Good night." a voice make her shiver. "I believe that it's time that you and I talk about businesses Batgirl, or Barbara Gordon should I say?" Scarecrow was standing near her, his careless black overcoat and his hat giving him a sinister aspect.  
  
Barbara couldn't avoid feeling frightened while Scarecrow circled around her.  
  
"How many years has it been since we last saw each other? He asked.  
  
"It hasn't been long enough..."  
  
"Why did you disappear? What happened to you? Oh, I remember! That attack... 'Barbara Gordon hurt' you were in all newspapers. It was a good blow! You must have suffered... Do you remember that night?"  
  
"You are insane!"  
  
"It hurt you.?"  
  
"How did you get in at the clock tower?" Barbara asked, she known that she had also inhaled the gas, the fear that he caused her was not normal.  
  
"When I had control of Helena I could see the access key. It was easy to take it from her, knowing the abilities of Selina it was obvious that she would have inherited them. It was like interfering a telephone line, I only had to find the appropriate one. All cats have sensitive hearing. The bad thing was that you stopped my signal. but no more." He smiled and threw her the bat-earring.  
  
Barbara looked at Huntress, she didn't have the necklace, or the bat- earrings, she understood that meant big problems, the girl was a lethal weapon.  
  
"I was thinking of killing her" Scarecrow said "... but now that I have control again, it won't be necessary"  
  
"How did you find Helena?" Oracle asked, while she felt a terrible panic growing inside her.  
  
Scarecrow stopped beside Huntress and caressed her hair  
  
"The murder of Selina Kyle was a big notice, all the newspapers talked about her daughter, having the name, it was easy to identify her. She is beautiful. Pity that her mother helped Batman to defeat me. I couldn't retaliate against her, somebody beat me there... but I will be able to take revenge with her. Selina's little girl is mine... That hurts you?" He laughed amused and he faced Oracle, she shivered, she tried to control her fear. But I never understood what happened with Batman, where was he? You should know."  
  
"I'm sorry to disappoint you... I don't know. "  
  
" I would like to know what the relationship is like between Helena Kyle and Batman. Why does she see him as a nightmare? It won't be difficult to convince you to speak, mainly when your bad dreams don't allow you to fall asleep and... if not, she will help me to convince you," he pointed at Huntress "remember that I have control. Think about that for a moment..." Scarecrow left the room.  
  
Barbara breathed deeply trying to calm herself, if she lost control it would be easier for him , she had to have a clear mind to be able to face the sinister character, without the blocking of the signal, Helena in any moment could turn against her, she had to act quick.  
  
* * *  
  
"Alfred..." Dinah looked concerned to him while she checked the monitors "there's residue in the air of something." she raised her eyes to the air system "The ducts... he used the air ducts to filter the gas... Barbara inhaled it..."  
  
"That means that we..."  
  
"In smaller proportion but yes, It has almost disappeared from the atmosphere... I Believe that I can prepare the antidote, she told me how to do it. I have the compound that we inhaled," she raised a bag with remains of a bulb "I only have to identify it... we have to move quick, if he took them because he didn't want to kill them immediately. We have to hurry up."  
* * *  
  
"Huntress..." Oracle slapped Helena's cheeks "I need you wake up, Huntress"  
  
The youth moved her head a little, she felt so drowsy. Oracle hit her cheeks again and called her. Helena opened her eyes with effort.  
  
"Go Huntress." Oracle hurried her, looking at the thick chains that trapped her hands in the back. She needed something to try to open them. The fear make her hands shiver, it was the influence of the gas.  
  
Huntress tried to move and she realized that she was tied "Where am I?" she asked dazed.  
  
"You were right, Scarecrow was in the Clock Tower" Barbara took off her belt to break the buckle.  
  
"I... told you... What... did you give me...?" the youth put her head against the pillar, she tried to wake up.  
  
"Just a tranquilizer, the effect will disappear in a few minutes."  
  
"You said the same thing last time... I don't know what you use. but I feel terrible."  
  
"Wake up, we have big problems, Scarecrow caught us, and he removed your bat-earring, in any moment he could interfere with you again"  
  
Helena looked at Barbara while she finished breaking the buckle of the belt "What are you doing?"  
  
"Trying to free you, we have to leave here"  
  
Helena pulled her hands wanting to break the chains.  
  
"It is useless, they're too thick..." Barbara told her, leaning over and trying to open the handcuffs  
  
"If you would listen to me when I talk to you..." Helena moved her arms trying to rest a while.  
  
"If you weren't too impulsive I would have paid attention." Barbara refuted trying not to lose her concentration, her hand began to tremble again. "... Jesus!" she exclaimed losing the tip of the buckle and stopping. The fear was too strong and she couldn't avoid it.  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"I'm also affected by the gas..." she swallowed "I can't.."  
  
"... Oracle... are you alright? "  
  
"No..." she closed the eyes trying stay controlled, her heart beating faster.  
  
Helena began to feel around for the buckle on the floor. The panic had invaded Oracle, she didn't allow herself to think.  
  
"Oh. I see, the family has gathered" Scarecrow opened the door "Can I join?."  
  
Of course, let me welcome you" the rabid Huntress told him.  
  
"Oh, you are really brave... you and I will be a great team," he pointed at Helena "with your energy, vitality and my genius... ah! of course, without this" he showed her the bat-earring. The girl felt a chill in her back, she knew what that meant... 


	7. Is this your worst nightmare?

Oracle was paralyzed, it wasn't Scarecrow in the room, it was the Joker, but it couldn't be. Helena felt that something bad had happened to her. Scarecrow perceived the same thing, he smiled seeing the expression on the face of Oracle. Huntress pulled her arms again trying to get free.  
  
"Is this your worst nightmare?" he asked Oracle smiling. She began to remember that terrible night fleetingly. "What was the thing that most scared you? Do you remember?"  
  
Oracle suddenly was again in her apartment, the light beamed down into the room. She was alone in the middle of the living room, somebody knocked on the door and she trembled. She knew who it was. and stepped back. The door opened slowly, Joker was there.  
  
"Do you know something Batgirl?" he began to walked toward her "I don't understand how you can work with the daughter of a thief." Joker grabbed Oracle by her jacket and dragged her against the wall. "I'll give you enough time to think, what will happen with Batman? What's the relationship between this girl and him? Why do you have the daughter of Selina Kyle?" he placed his forearm on her neck "Perhaps you'll cheer up if I show you that I speak seriously."  
  
Barbara was frozen, Joker took out a knife and put it against her waist, he looked at Huntress. "Have you forgotten that we had a good time? Do you remember how it hurt you Helena Kyle?" Scarecrow laughed pressing the tip of the knife in Barbara's abdomen.  
  
"No! Let her go!" Helena got free using the tip of the buckle and she hit him.  
  
"You won't be able to win against your worst nightmare!" Scarecrow laughed.  
  
Helena opened her mouth when she saw the imposing figure of Batman in front of her. A fist in her face made her come out of her confusion, a thread of blood left her lip.  
  
"Real or not, I'm angry!" she told and punched him in his face. She avoided a blow and kicked him in the stomach.  
  
Batman fell to the floor, he took a chair and tried to hit her with it, Helena avoided it bending over, the chair broke when it smashed against the pillar. The door opened and two men dressed in black clothes appeared, his guards. Scarecrow stopped them with a hand.  
  
"No, she is mine" he told them.  
  
"I'm not yours or anybody's" Helena punched him again, and suddenly she heard screeches above her head. Several bats flew right past her, she lifted her arms up trying to cover herself.  
  
Scarecrow picked up one of the tubes from the broken chair and took it in his hand and hit her in her hurt waist, Helena bent down hugging her waist. She couldn't recover yet when Scarecrow kicked her in the wound, the girl fell on her knees on the floor, she felt her head humming, the bandage began to stain blood. Barbara hated herself in that moment, she wasn't able to walk to help Huntress and the fear didn't allow her to think.  
  
Scarecrow sunk down next to Helena, he raised her up by her hair "Do you see this?" he showed her a small black box "You are going to do what I want with this. I'll get you!!."  
  
"If I leave you..." Huntress took advantage of the fact that he was at a short distance and she hit his hand, the black box broke on the floor. With the other one she trapped him by the neck, her anger was stronger than her fear.  
  
Both began to struggle, Scarecrow felt that his air was gone and in a desperate act, he pulled the bandage off her waist and he buried his hand in the wound, Helena groaned, loosing him but Scarecrow held her stronger.  
  
"You are a stupid girl!" he laughed enjoying the pain in Huntress' face "I gave you the opportunity to finish everything quickly, and you didn't want to! Do you really want to know what it's like to suffer?"  
  
Huntress couldn't think, falteringly she tried to grab his hand and take it off to avoid the pain, but it was useless. His hand was a pincer.  
  
"Do you understand? I'm the boss!!" he shouted pressuring the wound harder. "Who's the boss? Answer me or I'll kill you."  
  
Huntress' eyes began to blink and she opened her mouth trying to say something.  
  
"Who's the boss?"  
  
"Let her go!" Barbara screamed.  
  
"She needs to learn who's the boss here! I am! End of lesson one!" he said and loosened her.  
  
Helena breathed a sigh of relief and curled herself in to ball. She was in great pain "Oh God." she whispered.  
  
"Hold her again, I have to fix this now." Scarecrow got up, picked up the damaged box, and pointed at Huntress.  
  
The aching Helena moaned as the men lifted her. They dragged her towards the pillar and chained her hands back again.  
  
"Never forget who your owner is!" he grabbed her lapel and shouted angry "Get it?" Helena was still dazed and her head felt heavy.  
  
"Her also" Scarecrow picked up the buckle piece from the floor, "It's not good to have a conniving brain free, with or without being able to walk" Scarecrow circled around Oracle and stopped behind her "I am not in a hurry, your nightmares will kill you." He hit her in the nape of her neck, leaving her unconscious.  
  
He left the place, Huntress tied, rabid and helpless.  
  
* * *  
  
Reese had already left the police department that night, he continued without finding an illation among the murders in the last days.  
  
"Reese?" The police officer stopped and looked back.  
  
"Dinah?" He felt surprised. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"I need your help..." Dinah was wearing her black leather coat, she looked at him worried. "we know who the murderer is, it's Scarecrow."  
  
"Scarecrow?"  
  
"I can't give you details, but he used a substance that fills you with a terror that can eventually kill you. like what happened to those three men."  
  
"Do you mean they really died from fear?"  
  
"Yes... and he has Oracle and Huntress..."  
  
"What?"  
  
"He made Huntress act irrationally" Dinah put her hands in her pockets. "She has a high sensibility in her hearing and he somehow, using a special frequency, blocked her. Last night he went to her apartment and attacked her, she inhaled the gas and he almost killed her."  
  
Reese's face turned pale "Oracle and I arrived on time to help her, but she was seriously wounded."  
  
"But she."  
  
"This morning, while I went to Huntress' apartment to search for a compound that we needed to discover an antidote for the drug, he somehow got into the clocktower and took Oracle and Huntress."  
  
Reese walked nervously in his place. "And are they de...?"  
  
"I don't think so." Dinah said. "he wants vengeance, he's not in a hurry... That gives us time to find them. But I don't know how much."  
  
"Do you have some idea where they could have been taken.?"  
  
"I think so." Dinah felt a heaviness on her shoulders, Huntress and Oracle were in danger and only she knew what was happening, she felt great pressure. "Please help me, I don't know if I can do it alone, Oracle and Huntress are in danger and. and I don't have enough experience, I'm afraid, come with me, please."  
  
* * *  
  
Dinah and Reese were looking over some maps in the lab at the Clocktower. The man was really surprised, the blond youth was very clever.  
  
"And you say that you don't have experience?" he asked her "You are really skilled with these computers."  
  
"Oracle trained me, It's easy when you have a brilliant mentor. Do you remember that we couldn't find the link between the murders? The link was in the children of the murdered men..."  
  
"I Don't understand..."  
  
"The first victim was the son of a worker at New Gothman Systems, the same as the other two victims. NG Security System was the company that installed the new safe-system in Arkham. I think that he pressed them to get the key of the system. Arkham was built over an old nineteenth century prison, and the system also covers that area."  
  
"Do you believe that he's hiding there?"  
  
"I don't think so. I have a better alternative," Dinah typed quickly on the keyboard "nobody would think about looking for him in the prison"  
  
"Will he be thinking about letting those lunatics free?"  
  
"I hope not..." Dinah opened a screen with Arkham maps "His first reason was revenge, he didn't speak only about that... I checked these maps of the prison, I don't know where the entrance is to the old building from the outside, but from inside, you could help me and it would be faster. That's the ideal place to retain Huntress, all the walls are solid rock and the doors are five inches thick." Reese looked at Dinah, concerned "And how will you stop him? The gas or what he gives you is a real danger."  
  
"I'm working on that, I need to finish mixing some components to get the antidote. It will take me a few more hours." Dinah showed him a batarang "And we will have to take some toys."  
  
* * *  
  
Barbara woke up, she didn't know how long she had been unconscious, but apparently it had been many hours, maybe seven, maybe eight. She had her hands tied back with handcuffs. She had a slight headache, Scarecrow had hit her very hard, and that fear, that fear that didn't allow her to concentrate, that made her feel so vulnerable.  
  
She looked for Huntress, she was behind her sitting and tied to the pillar, her head was down, she didn't move. She called her without getting an answer. She passed the handcuffs under her legs and placed her hands in front. They were simple to open, so many years in the business were not in vain, she took a pin from her hair and removed the cuffs. Oracle crawled toward Helena, and sat down next to her side.  
  
"Huntress?" she touched her forehead, she had a fever. The damp of the room, the lack of attention and the loss of blood had affected her, she knew that had to act fast. "Huntress, do you hear me? It's me, Oracle..."  
  
"... Oracle?.." the girl whispered.  
  
"You have a fever..." Oracle told her, concerned "Sorry, I couldn't help you, I couldn't control myself. How do you feel?" she got the hair off her face.  
  
Helena moved her head in agreement, but Barbara knew that it was not true, she trembled and was sweating. Oracle moved back, she was focused totally on trying to open the handcuffs, the panic invaded her terribly but their lives were in danger. In a few minutes she achieved it and loosed Huntress' arms, the youth breathed with relief and she allowed herself to fall.  
  
"I'm afraid..." she mumbled, she was cold and felt terribly bad, but the worst was the panic that invaded her.  
  
Barbara took her cheek in her hand, she needed to force her to get up and escape. Staying here implied a certain death.  
  
"Listen, you have to make an effort, we don't have time, I need you to concentrate it, I know that you feel terrible fear, but you have to block it, the same as the pain, you have to make it stay out here."  
  
"Where am I.?" Huntress tried to open her eyes.  
  
"Huntress wake up!"  
  
"... I'm trying... " she said in low voice.  
  
"Helena look at me" Barbara's firm voice forced Huntress to open her eyes and to see her, in that moment Barbara saw how pale she was, she tried to hide her concern and said:"I know that you don't feel well, but I also know that you have a very strong mind, and you can overcome this. Is the only choice that you have to escape."  
  
Barbara helped Huntress to a seated position. "Come on Huntress" Barbara said "You need do it. You need to escape." "But you..." Helena said, trying to clear her mind.  
  
"Don't worry, I will be fine. He doesn't want to kill me yet, we have a chance, and if you run away, the only thing that could bring you back here is me."  
  
"No... wait..." Helena tried to protest.  
  
"I am not asking you, you have to do it. You don't have a choice, do you understand? You aren't in any condition to take me with you."  
  
"Barbara..."  
  
"Helena I won't discuss this with you. Get up!"  
  
Huntress stood up with effort, her legs trembled, she felt as if the room was moving around her, but she knew that she needed to escape and call Dinah, it was the only chance to save Barbara because in that moment she wasn't be able to fight and help her. She broke the safe door with a hard kick. She looked at Barbara, she hated to leave her alone.  
  
Suddenly the door opened. Huntress saw Batman, although she knew that he was that damned Scarecrow, he came with one of the men in black. Oracle who saw the Joker, quickly picked up the chain from the floor.  
  
"Damn" the man exclaimed.  
  
Huntress got ready for another attack.  
  
"Calm down Helena..." The man took a syringe out of his pocket and surrounded her slowly trying to come closer to her. Oracle didn't think it twice and using the chain like a whip, she threw him to the floor.  
  
Huntress threw a blow at Batman, but he stopped her hand and twisted her arm back with a movement and threw her against the floor, he placed a hand on her neck to put her face to the floor "This key will never fail" he said.  
  
Barbara tried to hit him with the chain but the other man got up and stopped her, he injected the content of the syringe into her arm, immediately she went towards Huntress.  
  
"No!" she screamed when seeing him lean down next to her with another syringe in his hand.  
  
"Calm down" Batman pressed her harder against the floor, preventing her from moving.  
  
"Leave me!" Huntress screamed feeling the needle prick her arm again.  
  
"Ready..." The man took out the syringe. 


	8. All is over

"Helena, It's me, Dinah," she heard a voice "we injected an antidote into both of you against the fear drug, you will be fine in a few minutes." Dinah looked at her waist "Damn..." she mumbled loosening it. "Bring the handbag Reese!"  
  
She came closer to Barbara and placed her hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay Oracle? Do you recognize me?"  
  
Barbara nodded, feeling the terrible fear disappearing. she began to relax.  
  
"Reese is with me," Dinah continued to explain. "I was able to get the antidote with your instructions."  
  
"Thanks you... you did very well..." Barbara smiled at her.  
  
"I brought this to you, it could be useful" Dinah took the transponder out of her backpack. "Its dangerous, but it's more dangerous if you can't defend your self..."  
  
Reese knelt down next to Helena, he opened the handbag, she felt alleviated, being liberated of the drug effect and the fear, it mentally gave her an enormous rest. Her breathing began to return to normal.  
  
"God!" she breathed deeply "I feel much better..."  
  
"Are you joking?" Reese looked at her, surprised.  
  
"No..." Helena said in a low voice "I feel very good..."  
  
"You don't need to give her an antibiotic. There's no time" Barbara said to Reese while she placed the transponder on her waist. "we have to prevent an infection and we have to control the fever, take out a bandage, just cover the wound. We need to catch Scarecrow."  
  
"Barbara, I'll bring it to you" Dinah showed her some small capsules.  
  
"What is that?" Barbara asked and Dinah simply smiled.  
  
Reese finished assisting Huntress, her lips were so pale. He cleaned her wet forehead and touched her cheek. "She is very hot..." he said.  
  
"I'm fine..." Helena whispered half-opening her eyes.  
  
"Reese, take her out of here" Barbara leaned down next to Helena and looked at her.  
  
"Dinah and I will search for Scarecrow."  
  
"But..."  
  
"Without the effect of the gas it won't be very difficult for us. I know him." Barbara explained "we can't expose Helena to a fight, neither can we leave her alone, she has lost a lot of blood and she has a fever, she is lost if they find her before us. Please take care of her, go to the Clocktower, Alfred will be able to help her there."  
  
"Ready?" Dinah opened the door and leaned out.  
  
"Reese?" Oracle look fixedly at the detective "Can I count on you?"  
  
"Okay" Reese declared. He hated to leave her alone but Helena really needed attention, she was shivering.  
  
"Where's Dinah?" Oracle asked.  
  
"Follow me, we can surprise him." Barbara and Dinah left the cell.  
  
Reese put a hand on her back. "We have to go."  
  
"I'm fine..." Huntress told him trying to reject the help.  
  
"No, you are not fine" Reese nagged her, "we have to go" he helped her get up. Huntress didn't like to depend on anybody, but in that moment she understood that she couldn't reject it, she felt dazed, the cold invaded her body and her legs couldn't support her own weight. She tried to walk a step but her legs didn't respond. Reese held her to prevent her from falling. She moaned.  
  
"Are you okay?" asked Reese.  
  
"Yes, I'm fine." she whispered trying to keep her eyes open, her mouth was dry "It just. it hurts me."  
  
Reese knew that she was to weak to walk. "Let me help you." He said lifting her. "I'm thirsty..." She placed her head on his shoulder, she felt so tired, so weak. "Hold on, just hold on." He said.  
  
Huntress couldn't respond, she fainted. Reese began to walk to the opposite side of the hallway heading for the exit.  
  
* * *  
  
Scarecrow closed the box he was holding in his hand. He headed over to a computer.  
  
"It is ready" he told to one of his men. "Do you want to see how it works?"  
  
A batarang flew across the room and hit his hand throwing the control to the floor. "That won't be necessary" Barbara took the batarang with her hand.  
  
"You?" Scarecrow was surprised when he saw Oracle walk into the room.  
  
The two men in black rushed at her but Dinah forced both away with her power, smashing them against the wall, Oracle walked towards Scarecrow, who took a cap out of his pocket and shattered it against the floor.  
  
"I am your worst nightmare" he said, laughing.  
  
"And I'm yours! Bastard!" Barbara hit him in the jaw.  
  
"How are you able to...?" Scarecrow got back up, surprised that Barbara wasn't afraid of him. Barbara kicked him in the stomach throwing him against a table "That is for Huntress!" she took him by his neck and punched him in his face "And that too!"  
  
Dinah came closer to the interceptor and taking a seat destroyed it with a smash. One of the men in black rose but Dinah knocked him out with a single blow.  
  
Scarecrow attacked Oracle with fury. "Your nightmares will take control of you!" he screamed pushing her against a table, and placing his hands on her neck.  
  
"No, not to me" Barbara said putting one of the capsules that Dinah had given her in his mouth and pressing his jaw to break it "To you yes! Without your gas you are nobody!"  
  
Scarecrow began to swoon and Oracle hit him in the face making him fall to the floor. The sinister figure began to scream. He was terrified. He crawled full of panic to the corner of the room.  
  
"Good.we gave him a taste of his own medecine!" Dinah said coming closer to Oracle.  
  
"Yes... That was very ingenious on your behalf"  
  
"Having the compound, it was easy to recreate the same gas"  
  
Barbara looked at her "I am very proud of you, you did a good job."  
  
Dinah broke into a wide smile.  
  
* * *  
  
Oracle & Dinah arrived at Clock Tower As fast as she could, Barbara ran toward the infarmary, where Alfred finished stitching the wound in Huntress' waist.  
  
"Is she ok?" she asked Alfred, putting in her hands a pair of gloves.  
  
"Yes Miss Barbara"  
  
Barbara observed Alfred's work on the wound. "This looks good."  
  
"I have magic hands Miss Barbara."  
  
"I know that" Barbara smiled "Is she.?"  
  
"She is awake, she asked me used just s local anestethic" Alfred began to placed a sterile piece of gauze over the sutures.  
  
"I'm tired of being drugged." Huntress said with low voice "And I hate your drugs."  
  
Barbara looked at Helena's face and cuddled her head. "How do you feel, Helena"  
  
Dinah smiled, knowing the strong union between Barbara and Helena, but but also knowing that it was very rare to see both women showing their feelings to each other. They usually were hard and inexpressive.  
  
"I'm feeling better. I'm happy to see you both again, I was worried. what happened with him?."  
  
"It's all over. forget it now, we talk later about that" Oracle said and touched her forehead ".she is warm yet Alfred."  
  
"I gave her an antibiothic when she arrived," Alfred said finishing to tape the gauze "It's working, the fever is lower."  
  
"Hi partner!" Dinah said with a big smile behind Oracle.  
  
"Hi blondie." Huntress couldn't avoid returning a smile ".Thanks."  
  
"No thanks please, you both will do the same."  
  
"I'm sorry" Alfred said "I need bandage Miss Helena and later take her to rest, she needs sleep a while. It has been a very hard day."  
  
"I can do that Alfred." Barbara said.  
  
"No, I'm going to help Alfred" Dinah touched Barbara's shoulder "You go and take off the transporder."  
  
"But."  
  
"And you thought I was obbstinate." Helena whispered.  
  
"She is right Miss Barbara" Alfred looked her "That thing hurts you."  
  
Barbara sighed and up her hands "Okay, okay, you win."  
* * *  
Two days later, Barbara played with her hands while she chatted with Dinah.  
  
"You have advanced a lot, I believe that you will be a very good detective."  
  
Dinah felt excited, she was seateded in front of her. "Do you really believe that?.  
  
"Of course, just continue putting an effort into school."  
  
"That is the part that I don't like" Dinah said, a displeasured look on her face.  
  
"We all have to do that" Barbara laughed.  
  
In that moment they heard Helena come closer from behind. She walked slowly toward them, her waist still hurt a little.  
  
"Hi!" Dinah smiled "You are awake."  
  
"Are you sure this won't leave a scar?" the youth asked Barbara as she stopped by her side while looking at her bandage, "It would be terrible. I would never be able to wear a bikini ever again."  
  
"No," Barbara laughed "I told you several times, your vanity will be satisfied."  
  
"You really are conceited!." Dinah said.  
  
"I have enough of them hitting me all the time, I don't like being filled with scars" Helena said upset "I am still very young."  
  
"Don't play with that!" Barbara told her removing Helena's hand from the bandage.  
  
"It's itching." Helena protested.  
  
"I know , but don't touch it!." Barbara Insisted. Dinah observed the amusing scene.  
  
"Helena...." Barbara looked her in the eyes "do you really fear Batman? He is your father... I always thought that you had some resentment against him, but not fear."  
  
"I resent Bruce Wayne... But, Batman..." Helena meditated "perhaps his legend is too big for me, a challenge very difficult to overcome, for not living under his shadow... for not being his daughter. Maybe I'm afraid of not being able to be as good as him..." Helena looked out to the horizon "perhaps to demonstrate to me that I don't need him... or to show me how good I am..."  
  
"You are very good, you have your own personality, your own style... never compare yourself with him, you are completely different."  
  
Helena lowered her head and looked at her feet. "Do you believe that he left because I could not avoid that my m...?"  
  
"He didn't know that he had a daughter" Barbara interrupted her "Your mother never told him. He didn't abandon you, he doesn't have resentment against you, he just didn't know that you existed."  
  
The silence was in the air for a few moments. Helena felt so sad.  
  
"It was so difficult... I miss her..." she said.  
  
"I know ... She would be very proud of you now. "  
  
"Thank you Barbara..."  
  
Barbara looked at her. "Why?"  
  
"Without you I wouldn't have known what had belonged to me... perhaps I'd have continued wandering. Inflicting my fury on somebody.."  
  
Barbara took her hand. "I believe that we survive together and we help ourselves to continue ahead." Helena smiled.  
  
"Yes," Dinah said "you gave her enough distraction taking you out of your messes."  
  
"Messes? I never was never in any messes..." Helena shouted but stopped when she saw Barbara looking at her with a raised eyebrow. "... well they were... were small setbacks."  
  
"Ah, setbacks" Barbara laughed "And when you were out because you put grease on the floor in the hallway at school?"  
  
"Did you do that? Dinah asked surprised.  
  
"It was an innocent joke" Helena puckered her frown.  
  
"And how about that time you spiked the water? Was that innocent?"  
  
Helena looked up.  
  
"Really you were terrible." Dinah laughed "How many days did they expel you?."  
  
"Okay, okay, time out, enough" Helena raised the hand.  
  
"You were really a pain in the ass" Barbara smiled looking at Helena who felt a little embarrassed. ".But you lightened my days... and you continue doing it."  
  
Both women looked at themselves and began to laugh. 


End file.
